Thus a patented coating process for the lunar disc endows this astronomical complication with a remarkably lifelike appearance on the new Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase, designed to remain accurate for 122.6 years. A spacious stage has been reserved for the popular astronomical indication on the dial. It provides vividly realistic proof of how closely the moon-phase display tracks the actual orbit of our planet’s companion. This is because the display is connected with the hour-wheel continuum. As a result, it is constantly in motion, just like the moon itself. The increments are so small they cannot be detected by the naked eye.  Additionally, the moon-phase display indicates the time that elapses from new moon to new moon with an accuracy of 99.9978 per cent. Moreover, the display can be adjusted separately by using the push piece embedded in the case flank between 7 and 8 o’clock, for instance if the watch has not been wound up for a longer period of time. The effort invested in the coating of the solid-gold lunar disk exemplifies the degree of perfection to which Lange’s product developers are committed. Their goal was to depict the nocturnal sky as magnificently as possible. The result of their intensive research and development work is a patented coating process, which, with its incomparably brilliant colours and crisp texture details, fulfils even the most ambitious aesthetic expectations. A laser is used to cut out more than 300 stars of different sizes with extremely sharp contours, producing a miniaturized image of the galaxy.

 

Since it made its debut four years ago, the articulately designed Saxonia Annual Calendar has become a benchmark in the calendar watch category. After the models in pink and white gold, it now comes in platinum. Besides the combination of an annual calendar and the Lange outsize date, the Saxonia Annual Calendar features an exceptionally accurate moon-phase display. This timekeeper only needs to be corrected by one day every 122 years, as with all Lange Moon Phases. The legendary self-winding Sax-0-Mat caliber is the heart of this watch. Its patented Zero Reset function makes it easy to accurately set the time. When the crown is pulled, the movement stops and the seconds hand jumps to the zero position. Then, the minute hand can be aligned with the respective minute marker ; when the crown is pushed home again, the watch will restart precisely to the second. A glance through the sapphire crystal caseback reveals the magnificently finished movement. All parts are individually decorated and polished by hand. Ample power is delivered by the bidirectionally winding rotor in 21-carat gold above the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver. The centrifugal mass in platinum on the outer edge of the rotor adds extra inertia. The rotor is positioned in such a way that it does not obstruct the view of the beating heart of this watch : the classic screw balance. It oscillates beneath the manually decorated balance cock : the master engraver’s artistic signature makes each watch unique.

 

 

Uniting more horological complications than the well-organized dial suggests at first sight, The 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar is yet another manifestation of the brand’s exceptional competence in this apotheosis of precision watchmaking, with a rattrapante chronograph, a perpetual calendar, a moonphase display, and a power-reserve indicator. The mechanism behind it is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback and ranks among the most fascinating ones in a movement. Of the 631 individual parts of the newly developed Manufacture Caliber L101.1, more than 200 components are part of the perpetual calendar mechanism. The newly designed solid-gold lunar disc beneath the subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock emulates the synodic lunation so precisely that it only needs to be corrected by one day every 122 years, as with all Lange Moon Phases.

 

 

Nicknamed the Masters in Complication, Lange remains a staunch advocate of classic horological values

A. Lange & Söhne crafts only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In the last 20 years, the Manufacture has developed over 40 manufacture calibers and secured a top-tier position among the world’s finest watch brands recognized by many international prizes like the « Aiguille d’Or » at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix with the Zeitwerk in 2009. The extension of the Manufacture should be completed by 2015. Interviewed on WorldTempus.com last spring about further developments, their CEO Wilhelm Schmid stated : “Technology plays a role and we invest in R&D, as is illustrated in our tourbillon with stop seconds and Zero-Reset functions, but the use of new materials is a path we do not intend to explore.” Commenting about the evolution of A. Lange’s clients’ expectations, he explained : “So long as we remain true to our fundamentals, the essence of why we are appreciated by experts and collectors, their expectations are met. It is first and foremost about tradition, not in the old-fashioned sense of the term, but the way in which our historical values are transposed into the future, as well as a matter of performance. A Lange & Söhne must not offer an ‘easy’ tourbillon, but a model with a special element. Finally, our intrinsically hand-crafted approach must remain clearly perceptible.”

 

Indeed,  for the very first time, an A. Lange & Söhne timepiece unites the stop seconds mechanism for the tourbillon with the Lange patented Zero-Reset function. The interaction between the two patented mechanisms makes it possible to stop and set the new 1815 Tourbillon with one second accuracy. When the crown is pulled, the balance inside the tourbillon cage stops instantaneously and the seconds hand jumps to the zero position. The watch can now conveniently be synchronized with a reference watch or a time signal. The hairspring and balance wheel are crafted in-house with extreme meticulousness and perfectly matched to one another. Precision also comes to the fore in the intricate finish of all movement parts and is crowned by the diamond endstone of the tourbillon. The understated design of this 2014 new launch assures crisp legibility. The tourbillon that is visible through the aperture in the dial is the only manifestation of the complexity of the watch. The limited edition of 100 watches in platinum emphasizes the exclusiveness of this exceptional timepiece.

 

 

Despite the wealth of information it delivers, the dial is so well organized that many a second look is required to recognize fully the technical complexity of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Configured around the time indication, the calendar displays and the peripheral month ring deliver full time and date readings at a single glance. All of the perpetual calendar displays advance instantaneously. Thus, the date, day of the week, month, leap year, and moon phase can never be interpreted incorrectly. Only a modest inscription beneath the 12 refers to the existence of the tourbillon. But a glance through the sapphire crystal caseback reveals its technical ingenuity. The patented stop-seconds mechanism instantaneously brings the balance inside the tourbillon cage to a standstill when the crown is pulled. This allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy. The upper part of the tourbillon cage is decorated with black polish, no doubt the most sophisticated and time-consuming type of artisanal finition. The bearing of the tourbillon cage features a diamond endstone as a reminiscence of the historic 1A pocket watches of the venerable A. Lange & Söhne brand.

 

Back in 2009, the Zeitwerk concept was the first mechanical wristwatch with a truly eloquent jumping numeral display. Unusual for Lange, a fresh design concept underscores the paradigm shift : The German silver time bridge unfolds its wings across the entire width of the dial to prominently frame the large numerals of the laterally aligned windows that present the hours and minutes. It extends down to encircle the subsidiary seconds dial as well, uniting all three levels of time measurement in a harmonious setting.  With a whispered click and within fractions of a second, the minute display advances step by step until the watch initiates the big jump at the top of the hour. At this point, all three numeral disks switch forward simultaneously and instantaneously by exactly one unit. Beneath the extraordinary face, an equally revolutionary movement with a patented constant-force escapement. The significant amount of energy required to simultaneously advance all three numeral disks once every hour is delivered by a newly developed barrel with an extra-strong mainspring. Its patented design literally turns the venerable wind/unwind principle upside down. Thus, the mainspring barrel bearing with the higher friction rating is involved when the watch is being wound, but the barrel wheel always turns in the minimized friction bearing as the mainspring gradually relaxes. This makes more torque available for powering the watch as well as the ensemble of disks with the hour and minute numerals. With the Zeitwerk, A. Lange & Söhne delivers a new experience, now also in a “Striking Time” version.

 

 

Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase 

Case  : 18k yellow or pink gold or platinum, sapphire caseback, water splash proof  Diameter : 41mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (Lange Calibre L095.3, 72h power reserve), 446 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; balance cock engraved by hand, superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house  Functions : hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; power-reserve indicator; outsize date; moon-phase display  Dial : solid silver, champagne, silver or rhodié Strap : reddish brown hand-stitched crocodile, middle brown with Lange prong buckle in gold or platinum

 

Datograph Perpetual 

Case : 18k pink gold, sapphire caseback, water splash proof  Diameter : 43,2mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (Lange Calibre L001.1, 38h power reserve), 465 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver, balance cock engraved by hand Functions : hours, minutes, small seconds with stop seconds ; flyback chronograph with double rattrapante for cumulative and lap-time measurements between 1/6^th of a sec and 30mn precisely jumping chrono and rattrapante minute counters, tachometer scale, power-reserve indicator  Dial : solid silver, rhodié, rattrapante hand blued steel  Strap : hand-stitched crocodile strap with solid pink gold Lange prong buckle

 

Saxonia Annual Calendar (center)

Case  : platinum (also available in 18k yellow or pink gold), sapphire caseback, water splash proof  Diameter : 38,5mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (Lange calibre L085.1 Sax-0-Mat, 46h power reserve), 476 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; rotor in 21k gold and centrifugal mass in platinum, reversing and reduction gear with four ball bearings ; balance cock engraved by hand  Functions : hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds with stop seconds and zero-reset function ; annual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month, and moon phase  Dial : solid silver, rhodié Strap : hand-stitched black crocodile strap, with Lange prong buckle in platinum

 

1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar (right)

Case : platinum (also available in 18k pink gold), sapphire caseback, water splash proof  Diameter : 41,9mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (Lange Calibre L101.1, 42h power reserve), 631 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver, balance cock engraved by hand Functions : hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds, rattrapante chronograph with minute counter ; perpetual calendar with date, day of week, month, moon phase and leap year ; power-reserve indicator Dial : solid silver, rhodié Strap : hand-stitched black crocodile or reddish brown strap, with Lange deployant buckle in platinum

 

Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

Case  : pink gold, sapphire crystal caseback, water splash proof  Diameter : 41,9mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (calibre L082.1,50h power reserve), 624 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; central element of the unidirectional winding rotor in 21k gold, platinum centrifugal mass ; intermediate-wheel and tourbillon cocks engraved by hand  Functions : hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds Tourbillon with patented stop-seconds mechanism ; perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of the week, month, and leap year ; day/night indication; moon-phase display  Dial : Solid silver, argenté Strap : red-brown hand-stitched crocodile with Lange deployant buckle in pink gold

 

1815 Tourbillon

Case : platinum or pink gold, sapphire crystal caseback, water splash proof Diameter : 39,5mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (calibre L102.1,72h power reserve), 262 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; seconds bridge engraved by hand, superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house  Functions : hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds ; one-minute tourbillon with patented stop seconds and patented Zero-Reset mechanism  Dial : Solid silver, argenté, blued steel hands Strap : reddish-brown hand-stitched crocodile with Lange prong buckle in pink gold or platinum Limited edition : 100

 

Datograph Up/Down

Case: platinum sapphire crystal caseback, water splash proof Diameter: 41mm Movement: hand-wound mechanical movement (calibre L951.6, 60h power reserve), 451 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver;, precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring Functions: hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; flyback chronograph with precisely jumping minute-counter; power-reserve indicator ; outsize date Dial: black solid silver, rhodiumed gold and steel hands Strap: blue-grey hand-stitched crocodile with Lange prong buckle in platinum

 

Zeitwerk

Case : platinum (also available in 18k pink or white gold), sapphire crystal caseback, water splash proof Diameter : 41,9mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (calibre L043.1,36h power reserve), 388 components, hand decorated and assembled, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; seconds bridge engraved by hand, constant-force escapement Functions : jumping hours and minutes, small seconds hand with stop seconds, power-reserve indicator  Dial : solid silver, silver or rhodié, rhodiumed gold hands Strap : hand-stitched crocodile with Lange prong buckle in solid gold or platinum